Athletics: Hard readjusting after life in Beijing fast lane

After nine weeks in Beijing with the New Zealand Olympic and Paralympic teams, Raylene Bates is still adjusting to life back in Dunedin.

In her absence, her work as the business manager for the New Zealand Sports Academy, South Island has been steadily mounting up.

The physical and mental fatigue from the last couple of months has finally hit and, what is worse, even her own bed feels foreign.

But for the 42-year-old team manager it was all worth it to see the likes of Valerie Vili and Nick Willis stand on the podium.

Her personal highlight was Willis' 1500m bronze medal.

"Val's gold was a highlight but after watching her in the qualifying rounds, I expected her to get gold or silver that night. But my overall highlight was Nick Willis," she said.

"It was totally unexpected. We expected him to finish somewhere between fourth and sixth on a good day. It was just sheer joy to see the pleasure and excitement he experienced. He is just such a humble person, as well."

Bates described the Olympic track and field campaign as a success and said there was little else the team could have done to have been better prepared.

"It was the first time we'd had a track and a field medal since 1952 [in the same Olympics], so we could not ask for more. The exciting thing is we now have a group of world-class athletes and top 16 athletes as opposed to just having one [or two]."

The New Zealand team was "completely self-sufficient" and brought everything it needed, including Vegemite, she said.

The athletes were so well catered for Bates had to scratch her head when asked what they complained about most.

Turns out it was little things, like no dry towels or water overflowing in the shower, that annoyed our elite sportsmen.

Beijing played its part as well.

It was not as polluted as feared and despite the skies appearing grey in the broadcasts to New Zealand, Bates said the weather was fine and the skies "crystal clear".

Bates has not decided whether she wants to be part of the London Olympics campaign yet.

"It [the Beijing Olympics] was very intense and a long campaign. It is fair to say I am emotionally and physically very tired."

She survived on five hours sleep for the first three days and was constantly tired but it was also an inspiring event, the Paralympics in particular.

"I think if every able-bodied Olympian were able to watch two or three days of Paralympics it would give them a whole new insight into the calibre of some of those athletes, but also some of the difficulties that some of those athletes have to overcome."